Top 10 Craziest Rumors In NBA History

The only thing harder to keep up with the pace of an NBA game is what actually happens (or not) when players, agents and managers are off the court, with hundreds of real news happening on a daily basis and some other things that actually never happened.

When you make a living of billionaire business like the National Basketball Association, it’s pretty likely that every single person, fan or journalist in the world is set to have his eyes upon you 24/7, and it’s quite hard to keep anything secret in such a globalized and technologic world.

And with journalists constantly keen to be the first guy with the juiciest news in the headlines, it’s kind of hard to trust some of the craziest rumours some people leak about the NBA, and even though you may think this is kind of new because of how much social media and technology have advanced, we’ll you’re terribly mistaken, so let’s walk you through a journey with some of the craziest rumors in NBA history.

10. Kobe Bryant And Chicago Bulls

From day one, Kobe Bryant has been compared with the most dominant shooting guard in the history of the game: Michael Jordan, and for a minute he could’ve continued his legacy as a member of the Chicago Bulls, but as you may know by now, the move never felt through.

Apparently, Bryant was desperate to have more talent around him, and he had serious concerns about the Lakers ability to contend in the near future. So, reports state that the Bulls were keen to send Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Ben Gordon and even Tyrus Thomas in exchange. Surprisingly, Kobe himself rejected the deal, as he was eager to play with Deng and

9. Steve Nash’s Son

Nash was completely dominating the scene in the desert as the ultimate leader of the Phoenix Suns, but things weren’t going as well off the court for the Canadian point guard, as he was in the middle of a divorce process.

So, just at the time, the Suns received Jason Richardson on a trade back then in 2010, and with Nash getting divorced and his wife just having a baby, people spread the rumor that the baby was black and of course, Richardson’s son.

8. Shawn Kemp For Scottie Pippen

After Michael Jordan decided to call it a day and pursue a successful career as a baseball player following his father’s passing, the Chicago Bulls were keen to kickstart a rebuilding process, so they had to find a suitor and an interesting deal surrounding their biggest asset at the time, Scottie Pippen.

Pippen, of course, drew a lot of interest across the league as the ultimate two way small forward and a very productive player, so Seattle was ready to send several players and a 1st rounder as well as Shawn Kemp in exchange. Finally, the Sonics decided to keep a younger Kemp, and the rest is history.

7. Scottie Pippen For Tracy McGrady

Back then in 1997 during the Draft night, the Bulls front office was keen to acquire another star to pair alongside Michael Jordan, so they offered an aging Scottie Pippen to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for their 4th overall pick, Tracy McGrady.

So, why did this move fell off? Because Michael Jordan threatened to retire again if the front office dealt Pippen, no matter who they brought to replace him. This would’ve been a very fun duo, and McGrady perhaps would’ve just carried Jordan’s torch in Bulls history. Sadly, we’ll never know.

6. Michael Jordan And Los Angeles Clippers

Thank god this didn’t happen, but crazy as it seemed, the Chicago Bulls front office was hesitant and had serious doubts about Michael Jordan’s ability to take the team to the highest competition stage, way back then during the 1987 campaign.

So the Los Angeles Clippers tried to make a move for Michael, a two-time All-Star and one of the most promising players in the league at the time, offering a couple of 1st round picks to seal the deal. Gladly, Jerry Reinsdorf, the Bulls owner, decided that MJ was worth the gamble and killed the deal that could’ve changed NBA history forever.

5. NBA Draft Rigged By David Stern

David Stern has never been a fan favorite, and the New York Knicks fan base isn’t exactly easy going. Nonetheless, according to this rumor, New York fans should love David Stern for making them land the best player in franchise history: Patrick Ewing.

See, back then in 1985, the league was in desperate need of a huge star on a big market to clean their image, so Georgetown’s beast was the ideal man for the gig, and according to several people the Knicks envelope had a crease and Stern handed them the 1st overall pick on purpose.

4. Delonte West And LeBron’s Mom

LeBron James has always been in the headlines, but not always for good reasons. Back then when Delonte West was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, rumors stated that the troublemaker was actually LeBron’s mom’s “partner”.

James, being a momma’s boy as he is, didn’t take this rumors with much grace, and some people state that it actually broke down the Cavs locker room, making James leave to play at South Beach, while West… well, he was never the same.

3. Jimmy Butler Is Jordan’s Son

Jimmy Butler earned the right to be the ultimate leader of the Chicago Bulls after Derrick Rose struggled to stay healthy and Joakim Noah’s game took a toll, blossoming as one of the league’s biggest two-way stars.

Besides, his breaking of more points in a half for any Bulls player (held by guess who, Michael Jordan) and some few resemblances between the two made freaky fans speculate that Butler was actually Jordan’s bastard son. C’mon man!

2. Charles Barkley And Los Angeles Lakers

Far from being a rumor, this was a move that was almost a lock to happen, as Charles Barkley even got a call telling him that he was set to be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers while he was having lunch, so he decided to have a bit more to drink to celebrate.

Sadly, the move was pulled back at the last minute, so the Philadelphia 76ers had to deal with the troublemaker instead of landing James Worthy like they could’ve. Needless to say, Chuck played that game after drinking and absolutely killed it.

1. Michael Jordan’s First Retirement

Michael Jordan shocked the entire world when he announced that he was ready to retire quite early despite being the league’s (and even the world’s) biggest star and having just one three consecutive Championships with the Chicago Bulls.

This move didn’t make absolutely any sense at the moment, and considering Jordan’s gambling addiction – oops, I meant avocation- several speculators state that Jordan’s first retirement was actually a secret suspension by the NBA for gambling, keeping Jordan’s name and the league’s image clean.